The fruit of the serviceberry, a plant belonging to the genus Amelanchier, is not poisonous. This deciduous shrub or small tree is a member of the Rosaceae family, which also includes apples and roses. The common name, serviceberry, is often interchanged with Juneberry, Saskatoon, and Shadbush. These names reflect the plant’s edibility, and the ripe fruits are widely consumed by humans and wildlife.
Are Serviceberries Safe to Eat
The small, round fruits of the Amelanchier genus are technically pome fruits, structurally similar to tiny apples. They have a sweet, mild flavor profile, often likened to a blend of almonds and blueberries or a slightly mealy, baked apple.
The common names often reflect the plant’s edibility and harvest time. For example, Juneberry refers to the month when the fruits typically ripen in North America, and Saskatoon is the Cree name for the berry, misâskwatômina. Historically, the fruits were dried and used in traditional foods like pemmican. Today, they are cultivated for use in jams, pies, and other baked goods, and the dark purple-black berries remain a significant food source for wildlife.
Why People Think Serviceberries Are Poisonous
The misconception that serviceberries are poisonous stems from the presence of certain chemical compounds within the plant’s structure. Like the pits of cherries and the seeds of apples, serviceberry seeds contain trace amounts of cyanogenic glycosides. The specific compound found in Amelanchier species is prunasin, which is also present in other members of the rose family.
These glycosides are generally harmless unless the seed is crushed and metabolized, a process that releases hydrogen cyanide (HCN). However, the concentration of prunasin in the small seeds is extremely low, making the risk negligible for typical consumption. A person would need to crush and consume an extraordinarily large quantity of seeds to experience adverse effects.
The greater concern for toxicity lies in the leaves and twigs of the plant, which contain higher concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides. This is primarily a risk for grazing livestock, such as cattle and goats, particularly if they consume large quantities of wilted foliage.
Essential Identification Features
The serviceberry plant has several distinctive physical traits. Amelanchier species typically grow as multi-stemmed shrubs or small trees, ranging from 3 to 30 feet tall, with a graceful, upright growth habit. The bark is usually smooth and grey when young, sometimes developing vertical fissures as the plant matures.
The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, and oval or elliptical in shape, often featuring finely toothed margins. In the spring, the plant is easily identified by its profusion of delicate, five-petaled white flowers that appear in drooping clusters before or simultaneously with the leaves. The fruit, which develops from these flowers, is a small, round pome that is red when immature and ripens to a dark, dusky purple or nearly black color in early summer.